


Poison- Songfic

by Swarms_of_crabs



Series: Children of Gallifrey [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: And then they lived happily together and got married, And they escaped Gallifrey and travelled the stars, Attempted Murder, Canon Compliant, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Ever - Freeform, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Insanity, M/M, Paranoia, Pre-Canon, Sad with a Happy Ending, Strangulation, The Master's Drums (Doctor Who), Unhealthy Relationships, and nothing bad happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26114911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swarms_of_crabs/pseuds/Swarms_of_crabs
Summary: Something was wrong.Theta could feel it. He'd been linked with Koschei for almost twenty cycles, and he could feel when something was wrong. He didn't know what, or why, or even where, but he knew that Koschei was in trouble, and that he had to find him immediately.Based on the song "Poison" by Cavetown because it exudes Thoschei energy.
Relationships: The Doctor | Theta Sigma & The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era), The Doctor | Theta Sigma/The Master | Koschei (Doctor Who: Academy Era)
Series: Children of Gallifrey [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782829
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

" _Ease your breath, untie my hands  
Release my neck, If you can  
You don't have to be like that_

_Don't be afraid, there's nothing strange.  
It's not a trap,  
but there's cars coming closer,  
And I think they're trying to run me over.  
Poisoning my food  
and putting drugs inside my water.  
There's ghosts in my house,  
And I can taste blood in my mouth._

_Don't be afraid, I'm not insane, just irrational.  
But isn't that the same?_"

Something was wrong. 

Theta could feel it. He'd been linked with Koschei for almost twenty cycles, and he could feel when something was wrong. He didn't know what, or why, or even where, but he knew that Koschei was in trouble, and that he had to find him immediately. He pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to strengthen the psychic link, but all he got was a confused muddle of desperation and anger, tinted with the reddish chrome colour that always indicated another of Koschei's episodes.

He was in class, specifically remedial Neurobiology. He knew all the theory obviously, but he'd been lagging behind on his work again (due to a mixture of chronic procrastination and sheer apathy) and Epsilon had decided he was in need of extra classes on the subject. Or, in Theta's mind, it was essentially optional.

He briefly contemplated politely raising his hand and asking to be excused. He could say he wasn't feeling well, or that Brax had called about an urgent family matter, or just that he had to use the bathroom. He could get an absence excusal slip and help repair his already shattered grades.

Instead, he vaulted over hia desk, knocking Jelpax's papers onto the floor, and sprinted to the door.

Rapidly retreating behind him, Theta heard Professor Epsilon shouted for him to come back inside, that he hadn't been dismissed and would be written up for this. He really didn't care.

Theta began running through possibilities of where Koschei could be. All remedial classes were after regular school hours, and Koschei was an exceptional student, so he wouldn't be in class. The most obvious was their shared dormitory. Thankfully, it was just down the hall from the neurobiology classroom, and Theta was there in less than a minute. He flung the door open and stopped in the doorway, panting heavily. 

The room was messy, but still small enough that Theta could see from one glance that Koschei wasn't here. He could feel it too. That thin strand of thought that always connected him and his best friend. Despite that, he did a cursory check in the closet and under the beds, two of Koschei's usual hiding spots. He wasn't there.

Theta's worry increased and he ran from the room, slamming the door shut behind him. There were several other places he might find Koschei. The valley of bioluminescent purple flowers where they had met was one of his favorites, but it was almost two hour's walk from the Academy, and Theta had seen Koschei just a few hours prior, laughing and joking with the rest of the Deca. So that was out.

The courtyard with the glass fountain was a favorite as well, but it was after school hours and the courtyard would be bustling with students chatting with their friends and studying. That was a no.

That left two. The Silverwood tree just outside the Academy, and the little cave at the base of Mount Solice. Theta had seen Koschei in these states before, and he doubted whether he'd have the presence of mind or desire to climb a tree right now. So the cave it was.

The Pryodonian Academy was nestled between two great peaks, one of which, Mount Solitude, often had students and other Gallifreyans wandering about, going for day hikes or just lounging around at the base. It was directly in the path of both suns, and was thus always pleasantly sunny, warm, and crowded. Not their style.

Mount Solice on the other hand, rarely recieved any sunlight and was capped with ice, blustery winds buffeting the many caves that pockmarked its surface. It was mainly left alone by the students, but Theta and Koschei liked to explore the many interesting facets of thee mountain. The ones closest to the Academy, and the ones they visited most often, were only a fifteen minute run from Theta's current location. Perfect. Something clicked in his mind, like some sort of subconscious confirmation from Koschei that he was right.

He tried to pace himself on his run, bit Theta was still doubled over and gasping when he arrived at the cave's mouth. There were hundreds of caves in the vicinity, from little pockets hardly large enough to fit your hand (which Theta knew from experience was a bad idea) to huge caverns where one could stand and walk around comfortably. It could take Theta an hour to thoroughly search all of them.

He didn't have to.

Koschei's mind was... Loud, even at the best of times. Partly because he was just a better telepath than Theta, but also because his thoughts were loud and electric and unlike Theta, he never bothered trying to hide them. 

Normally, this just meant that he and Theta could communicate from across a crowded room, but during his episodes, being bonded with him became almost painful. It was bearable at this distance, but the pounding drumbbeats told Theta in no uncertain terms exactly where he was. 

Theta hoisted himself up by his forearms to the cave mouth. Small, but still large enough to sit in. The noise grew louder, an incessant beating that syncopated annoyingly with Theta's own heartbeats. He instinctually covered his ears, but it obviously did nothing, only blocking out the other background sounds and making the drumming feel even louder. 

He could see Koschei's shadowy figure hunched over in the far wall of the cave, rocking slightly back and forth. Theta rehearsed the coping strategies he had discussed with Koschei a few months prior, and that usually worked to calm him down. He already knew they probably wouldn't, but he tried not to think about that.

As he approached the figure in the corner, it became hard to think at all. The monotonous pounding drilled into the inside of Theta's skull, forcing him to pull back from Koschei's mind, tapering the ribbon of thought that usually wound between them to a single satin thread, stretched taut and threatening to snap. He would have severed it altogether, if not for the knowledge that their relationship might never be the same of he broke such an intimate bond. 

Finally he reached the huddled figure in Academy robes. He was doubled over, hands around his knees and eyes staring out at nothing. His quick, unsteady breating was the only real sound in the cave, and Theta could barely hear it over the drums, still present even though he had distanced his mind from Koschei's. 

Theta hesitated. Then he made up his mind, and placed one hand on Koschei's shoulder.

The breathing stopped. Koschei froze, and for a moment all was still. Then his head turned shakily towards Theta, and their eyes met. Theta had to keep from gasping.

They were... The same eyes. Delicate and almond shaped, slightly tapered like those of a fox. Deep blue irises and feathery black eyelashes. The same eyes that Theta had seen a thousand times. But... Different. Instead of their.usual mischievous glint, they were glazed and empty, like glass marbles. His face was slack and expressionless, just those two dead eyes boring into Theta's skull.

"By the Other Kosch, what happened t-"

He was cut off when Koschei flew into motion. Hands on his shoulders, and then suddenly he was flat on his back, Koschei's knees straddling his chest and his hands wrapped around Theta's neck. His head spun from the sudden movement and the hard impact with the stone floor. The hands constricted around his throat, and his respiratory bypass system kicked in instinctively. His hands flew to his neck, trying to pry away Koschei's fingers, but his grip was iron and he hardly seemed to notice Theta's efforts at all.

"Koschei- please. It's me." He managed to wheeze through his crushed vocal chords. Koschei took no notice, only pushing him harder into the jagged stone floor. 

He kicked his legs out, tried to push Koschei away with his hands, but he'd always been weaker and was no match for Koschei, especially when they former was lying on his back unable to breath. He tried to reach out to Koschei's mind, but at the lightest touch his brain was once again flooded with the deafening pounding of invisible drums. He pulled away. 

Koschei's face split open in an unnerving grin, though his eyes remained empty and glassy. For the first time he seemed to notice Theta, really notice him. Theta no longer had the strength to struggle, and he was limp and nearly unconscious when Koschei leaned down, face only inches away from Theta's

"Don't you see Theta?" He asked, voice unsettlingly even. "Don't you see? I'm doing you a favour. The universe is an evil place. Everyone either wants to use you or break you. You're too fragile for this universe. My pretty little glass doll. They would break you and hurt you and take you from me. But I won't let them. I'm gonna save you even if it means I need to kill you. I'm doing this for you, Thete, don't you get it?"

And that was the worst part of it. Before, it had been easy to imagine that this wasn't Koschei, just a monster inhabiting his body. But the words he spoke now mimicked real phrases he had actually said. Whispered confessions by starlight, when all was well. The man choking the life out of him wasn't just a stranger, it was Koschei.

Theta tried to speak but his vocal chords felt like toffee and his lips were tinged with blue. For the first time since entering the cave, cold fear washed over his limbs. Koschei was really going to kill him. Here in this cold cave where no one could hear him wheeze and gasp for air that he wouldn't recieve.

He registered distantly that there was a rock digging into his back. He thought it probably hurt, but he wasn't quite sure. It would definitely leave a bruise, but he doubted he would be able to appreciate it. He tried vaguely to recall if juvenile Time Lords could regenerate. He was fairly sure they couldn't. The thought didn't bother him as much as much as it probably should have.

Theta's last thought before falling unconscious was that Koschei's eyes looked especially beautiful in this light.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And, only six months late, it's finally here! This took me way to long, but enjoy.

Theta's first impression upon waking up was that he was warm. The ground beneath him was hard and unyielding, but it was covered in something thin and soft that made it slightly more comfortable, and some sort of blanket was draped over top of him. It was warm, and peaceful, and Theta thought he'd rather like to go back to sleep.

His second impression was his neck hurt. Alot. It felt as if his throat had puffed up, and each breath sent needles of pain into his chest and up through his head. He groggily reached up to find the skin there bruised and swollen, before his hand fell back to his side, blood pounding in his ears.

He didn't want to open his eyes. He knew that if he opened his eyes, he'd remember what had happened, and that didn't seem like a great idea. So he tried to fall back into the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness, until the pain in his throat and lungs grew too much to bear.

Theta opened his eyes reluctantly.

Grey stone filled his field of vision. The air was still chill and humid, and it stung his nostrils and aching throat as he struggled to bring air into his lungs. He blinked twice, trying to reconcile the cold air with the warmth surrounding him. He turned his neck away from the stone wall (which hurt) and craned it to look down at his body (which hurt more). He was still wearing his thick Prydon tunic and robes, but another robe was layed on top of him like a blanket and something Prydonian red was lining the stone beneath his body.

Theta groaned, forcing himself to roll over. His brain was still fuzzy and he struggled to remember why he was in a cave, and why he hurt so much. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, forcing himself to recall the unpleasant day. The memories eventually came back, not in a rush but a trickle, starting with his alarm in class and ending with Koschei choking him out in the cave.

Koschei! His eyes flew open. Where was he now? There was no way of knowing where he was now, and Theta didn't want to risk telepathic connection again after the earlier onslaught. He could have hurt someone else, killed even. If he was still having one of his episodes, there was no telling what he might do.

And that was when Theta noticed the small figure curled in the corner.

He was shivering, clad only in a paper thin white undershirt and scarlet leggings. The exact same position that Theta had found him in earlier. Theta's instinct was to recoil, to run. He was flooded with fear at the sight of the boy he had once considered his best friend. He froze, halfway sat up.

And then he realized where the fabric above and beneath him must have come from.

He pushed himself up so that he was seated. Now that he was fully awake, he realized just how cold it was. The Southern sun was completely set, and the Western sun was nearing the horizon. They must've been here for at least three hours. If he was cold, he couldn't imagine how freezing Koschei must be. 

The fear left him all at once. Theta pushed himself to his feet, but a wave of nausea came over him and he sat back down, waiting until the stars in front of his eyes faded. He engaged his respiratory bypass, easing the pain in his throat, and cautiously stood again. His head filled with fuzz as blood struggled to reach his brain, but eventually he felt well enough to lean down and grab the extra clothes, and traverse the length of the cave.

Cautiously, he sat down beside Koschei. His head was still pounding with dull pain, and colours danced in front of his eyes. Koschei shivered, and Theta draped the robe over his shoulders, as if he were as fragile as a glass statue.

Koschei didn't react to his presence, nor to the gesture. Theta closed his eyes and opened his mind, letting his mind brush gently against Koschei's consciousness. The drums were nowhere near as loud as they had been, and were hardly noticeable over the crushing guilt and self-loathing that radiated from him in waves. Theta didn't even need to touch him to feel just how much Koschei was hurting.

As gently as he could, he laid a hand on Koschei's shoulder, allowing himself to fully immerse his consciousness in Koschei's. Koschei's huddled form gasped slightly as Theta's mind slid over his like cool water on a burn.

Koschei's mind felt bruised and beaten, but what startled Theta the most was the sheer defeat that clouded his mind like thick grey mist, obscuring his thoughts like a dark curtain of apathy. His mind was tinted a greyish blue, a colour of despair, and they burned around the edges with cherry red hatred. Theta pulled back a bit, scared by the intensity of his defeat.

_"Why do you feel like this?"_

Koschei replied with what could only be described as the telepathic equivalent of a dry chuckle.

_"Why do I feel like this? You're kidding. I hurt you. I almost killed you. And I liked it too."_

Theta had no response.

_"Theta, you need to leave me. I know you won't want to because you're a selfless bastard, but you need to."_

Despite his body still curled up and trembling, Koschei's mental voice was steady and calm, cynical even.

_"I could never do that. I love you."_ Said Theta, slightly defiant.

_"You don't understand, do you? I'm broken, Theta. Something deep inside of me is broken. And some days I can ignore it, but eventually there will come a day that I'll press just a little too hard or a little too long, and I'll kill you. And I won't cry, because they'll tell me not to."_

_"The drums?"_

_"Who else?"_

Theta wrapped one arm around Koschei's back, scooting closer to his prone form. Koschei didn't respond, other than a slight shiver.

_"I can help you. We can fix them."_

_"No, you can't. Don't you see? They're who I am! They drive me and they guide me and they burn me. They're quiet now, quiet enough that I can think clearly at least, but they'll come back. Whenever I think they might be gone, they always come back."_

_"You don't have to listen to them. We can get rid of them, together."_

A sob racked Koschei's body, but he didn't show any signs of it through their telepathic link. 

_"You really don't get it, do you Theta? I don't WANT them gone. At least, not really. I'm not sure what I'd be without that noise. I'd just be a shell, an empty husk. I can't live with them, but I can't live without them. Isn't that how it always goes?"_ He laughed again in his mind, bitter and mirthless. _"No, the only thing you can do is leave before I kill you."_ Something occurred to him then, and the shivering halted. _"I wonder if they'd go away if I killed myself, forced my body to regenerate."_

"Koschei!" Shouted Theta. He was so shocked and horrified that he had returned to speaking aloud without planning to. The loudness of his voice surprised him after the long minutes of silence. "Koschei- you can't! You're not old enough, you wouldn't regenerate, you'd die! And- and I don't know how I'd survive I'd that happened." He broke into a fit of coughing, throat burning like he'd swallowed acid. His mouth filled with the taste of blood.

Koschei winced. He looked up finally, his eyes red and face streaked with tears. _"You're hurt."_ It was a statement, not a question.

_"I'm fine."_ Said Theta, but he was still coughing, a horrible, rasping sound that made his eyes water.

Koschei turned to him and lay one hand delicately over Theta's neck, the other resting on his shoulder. Theta flinched involuntarily, remembering the feeling of his windpipe being crushed by those same slender fingers. Koschei's face flashed with something like desolation, a mixture of agony and guilt and despair, but as soon as Theta noticed it it was gone, replaced by gentle detachment. The sort of look a medic might give a patient before an operation.

"Hold still." He said gently, but his hand on Theta's shoulder was firm. Theta fought the urge to pull away as Koschei ran his fingers over the bruises ringing his throat with something bordering on reverence. "Try to relax, it'll be easier." He said as he unbuttoned Theta's high collar and folded it down around his shoulders, leaving his vulnerable throat and collarbones exposed to the cool evening air.

Theta tensed. "What are you doing?" He asked, trying to keep the apprehension from his voice.

He felt his shoulders relax a bit as Koschei made a quiet shushing sound. "The least I can do" he whispered, and closed his eyes.

For a few seconds nothing seemed to be happening, and Theta found himself studying Koschei's pale face. He was beautiful as always, if slightly more palid, and with eyes puffy and red from crying. Thick midnight black hair, tousled from stress, framed his delicate pointed features. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut in concentration, giving him the adorable look of a child struggling to understand a simple equation. The touch of his fingers against the sensitive swollen skin of his throat was cool and feather light, and Theta found himself relaxing despite himself. 

Then something... shifted. For a moment, Theta thought that something must have gone wrong, because Koschei gasped and his grip on Theta's shoulder tightened. But then the air started to shimmer, like it would above a fire, and a warmth perforated Theta's body, spreading out from the place where Koschei was touching his throat. A faint golden glow began to emanate from Koschei's hand, growing brighter and stronger. Whisps of the golden light swirled around Theta's neck, weaving in and out of his skin and leaving a warm tingly feeling in their wake.

Theta held his breath as he felt the strands of energy slowly reworking his body. He knew what was happening, he'd seen it in videos and diagrams in class. This was second hand regeneration, the transfer of regenerative energy from one body to another. But it was extremely taxing on the Gallifreyan body, and was only to be used in the most dire of circumstances. All that aside, there was no way that Koschei should have been _able_ to initiate the transfer, being a youth who had yet to even graduate, let alone experience his first regeneration. 

Having one's flesh regenerated was a strange and not altogether comfortable experience. Theta had the bizarre sensation of every cell in his neck and throat being torn apart and put back together again. The ache in his neck was slowly replaced by an almost unbearable itching sensation, until that too began to fade. As the lasts whisps of regeneration energy dissipated into the night air, Koschei let out a shuddering breath and let his hands fall to his sides. The whole process took less than thirty seconds.

Theta gingerly touched the newly healed skin of his neck. To his wonder, the flesh there was smooth and unblemished, with no trace of the bruises and swelling present only a minute ago. The awful pain in his windpipe had gone too, and his breathing came smooth and easy. His headache was gone and, to Theta's surprise, even a scar on his collarbone from a lab accident several cycles past had completely disappeared, leaving no trace it had been there in the first place.

"Why-" He said, then faltered at how painless speaking was, how clear and loud his voice sounded. "Why did you do that? _How_ did you do that?"

Koschei smiled weakly. "I... read some books... " He spoke slowly, still struggling to recover from the physical exertion of regeneration.

Theta laughed despite himself. "I'm pretty sure they don't teach you how to do that in any of the Academy books."

"Borusa lent me a book on... Advanced artronic techniques. There was a chapter on regeneration. I dunno, it didn't make much sense. But... When I saw you like that, hurt, 'cause of me, I don't know... Something clicked."

Theta stared at him, troubled. "I can't believe you did that. You gave up... What? Half a regeneration? Two thirds? For me? Koschei- you're gonna regenerate before you even turn two hundred." He shook his head a bit. "And I'm not- I wasn't even that hurt. I wouldn't have died, I wouldn't even have been permanently injured. You did all that, just because I was in pain. "

Koschei looked at him a moment, face studiously blank, before leaning in and wrapping his arms around Theta, pulling him into a tight hug. Theta's hands flapped awkwardly for a moment, before settling on Koschei's back, his fingers curled in the thin material of Koschei's undershirt. 

"Yes Theta" he whispered, warm air brushing over Theta's ear. "Yes, I did all that because you were in pain. I did it because I hurt you, and because there's no way I could live with myself if I didn't try to help you. And I did that because you're my world Thete, my suns and my stars, and because I am nothing and you are everything, and I would give you all my thirteen lives if it would make you happy, even for just a second."

Theta felt a lump in his chest, and tears welled in his eyes. He pulled Koschei tighter, feeling the frantic beating of the boy's hearts against his own. He released one hand from Koschei's shirt and raised it to his temple, allowing them to re-establish their psychic connection and to link their minds. After a moment's hesitation, Koschei accepted his telepathic probe, allowing him into his mind.

The drums were still there, a steady pitter patter that accompanied Koschei's thoughts. The self hatred and shame and burning guilt were there as well, sizzling in bright orange, and ringed with the same grey-blue of apathy. But these feelings were as a candle to a flame when compared to the surging waves of pure love that washed through his mind, reducing his guilt and pain to inconsequential blips at the edge of his consciousness.

Theta gasped at the sheer force of the emotion, taken aback by the extent of Koschei's feelings for him. He knew Koschei loved him, but it was one thing to hear him say it and another to feel it, viscerally and in the deepest fibers of his being. He reciprocated with his own feelings, trying to make Koschei understand his concern, his worry, his love, and his deep devotion to him.

They sat there, holding one another on the cold stone floor, for some time. The air around them continued to cool as the second sun started to dip below the horizon, casting golden rays that glittered on the grey walls, but neither boy noticed. They were too caught up in each other, in the way their emotions flowed between them as easily as water from one side of a lake to another.

Finally, as the cold started to become uncomfortable, even for the low body temperatures of the two Gallifreyans, Theta loosened his grip on Koschei's shirt, and they both pulled away. Theta leaned back against the far wall of the cave and sighed.

"We should probably go back to school." He said, more bluntly than he intended.

Koschei looked at him. "Do you want to?"

"Not particularly, you?"

"Nope."

"We could always... Stay here." Proposed Theta, with a sidelong glance.

"That sounds nice." Koschei smiled. "But it's nearly winter. We'd not survive the night"

Theta nodded, and his face fell, then brightened suddenly. He shoved one hand into his pockets, rifling around until he found what he was looking for. With a look of triumph, he held up a small bright yellow object, oblong and about the size of his thumb.

"Portable thermo-regulators!" He laughed. "Nicked one from Drax a few weeks back, I knew it'd come in handy."

Koschei watched with mild curiosity as Theta bounded over the the mouth of the cave, kneeling down with the little yellow device in his hands. After half a minute of fiddling, he stood up with an exclamation of victory. He pushed a final button, then dropped the device to the floor. Upon impact, the air around it seemed to... Shift. The phenomenon rippled out from the device, until it had reached the edged of the cave, forming a nearly invisible barrier between them and the landscape outside. Almost instantly, the temperature began to increase, warming up from a damp chillness to a comfortable room temperature. Theta smiled.

"There. Nice and cozy. The battery lasts almost a day, so we can stay here all night without turning into Prydon flavoured popsicles."

"Pop-sickles?" Asked Koschei quizzically.

"Oh, nothing. Just another Earth thing."

Koschei laughed softly. "When is it not?"

Theta smiled again, and walked back to the far wall of the cave. He sat down beside Koschei with a small sigh. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned his head on Koschei's shoulder, feeling his fluttering hearts through his shirt. With almost no hesitation, Koschei leaned against him, scooting closer to press their bodies together. Despite the heat shield, a faint breeze brushe through the cave, gently tousling Theta's fine blond hair. They sat together, staring out at the landscape.

"It's beautiful" breathed Koschei.

And it was. The second sun was just visible over the horizon, an orange sliver, leeching colour out into the darkening sky. From their vantage, only one moon was visible, a silver crescent hanging in the sky, and several stars had begun to peek out among the dark red night. They were faced away from the Academy, providing an unobstructed view of rolling red hills dotted with silver and gold forests, and a far off range of snow capped mountains shone with the dying light of a sun.

"Yeah, it is." Said Theta, at a loss for any better words.

He shifted a bit, turning his head to look at Koschei. The light reflected on his dark hair like burnished wire, and his cosmic blue eyes were particularly striking. Koschei turned to face him with a faint smile. Theta raised one hand, cupping his jaw. He returned Koschei's smile, hearts clenching with unexpected emotion. 

Koschei's gaze flicked down to Theta's mouth, then back up to meet his eyes. Theta opened his mouth to say... something, but before he could make a sound Koschei pressed his lips to Theta's, cool and chaste. There was no heat, none of their usual frantic passion, only tender warmth and companionship. Koschei moved his lips against Theta's with slow caution, as if he was scared he'd break him. He threaded both hands into Theta's hair, holding his head in place while Theta returned the kiss eagerly.

After half a minute, they both pulled back. Breathing slightly laboured, Theta grinned. 

"I love you so much, you daft bastard" He said, placing a light kiss on Koschei's nose.

"Love you too." Replied Koschei, still slightly breathless.

"Quite right, too." Said Theta, curling up on the stone floor with his head resting on Koschei's lap. Koschei snorted, and his hands found Theta's hair again. As his fingers carded through the soft curls, he deftly separated a chunk of hair, dividing it into three parts. He examined it, then started weaving. Over, under, over, under, until he had a tight braid no thicker than his fingernail, which he tied off with a bit of string from Theta's pocket.

Koschei repeated this process two more times, and then he braided the three thin braids together. It didn't look especially nice, being slightly lumpy and disorganized, but it was tightly woven and it felt soft and smooth beneath his fingers, so he tied it with a thin strip of red ribbon, also from Theta's pockets. It was amazing how much junk he managed to fit in there.

Theta, for his part, was dozing in Koschei's lap, enjoying the feeling of fingers in his hair. The cave was pleasantly warm, thanks to the Drax's thermo-regulator, and even the unyielding stone felt almost comfortable. He moved closer to Koschei's body, feeling the slight warmth radiating off his skin. After some time he closed his eyes, and was almost on the verge of sleep when Koschei's hands stopped moving and he spoke abruptly, jolting him back to wakefulness.

"You're never gonna leave, are you?"

Theta hummed. "Nope." he said happily. He snuggled back into Koschei, trying to get comfortable again.

"No, really." He sounded perturbed, so Theta shifted to look up at him. His face was curiously blank.

"What's wrong?"

"You're never gonna leave." He repeated.

"I promise, I will never leave."

"You should."

Theta was taken aback. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No!" Corrected Koschei hurriedly. Then he hesitated. "Theta you're... You're brilliant. You're the most extraordinary person I've ever met. I-" He took a deep breath. "I- can't let someone like you be around someone like me."

Theta pushed himself to a seated position, alarmed. "What you you mean?"

"Theta these drums aren't gonna go away. Not ever. I know it." He closed his eyes, touching his chest. "I know it in my hearts. They're gonna stay, and they're only going to get louder. Even now I can hear them, feel them eating away at me, eating away at who I am." He looked Theta dead in the eyes. "Someday, I don't know if it'll be a hundred years, or five hundred, or a thousand, if I live that long. But someday there'll come a time where I'm not... Me anymore. And I can't have you near me when that happens. Because some day I'm going to try and kill you again, and someday, unless you leave, I'm going to succeed."

There was a pause, wherein nobody spoke, and Theta barely breathed.

"You're right." Said Theta finally.

"Hm?"

"I'll never leave you."

"But-"

Theta shushed him. "No buts. I will stand by you Koschei, no matter what. I don't care if you try to hurt me. I don't care what you do. As long as I'm there with you, every step of the way."

Koschei didn't respond. Theta feared for a moment that he might fall back into the call of the drums again, but he just stared blankly at a spot somewhere over Theta's shoulder.

"Okay." Koschei answered eventually.

"Okay what?" Asked Theta warily.

"I'll stay with you. And you'll stay with me. And we'll be together forever, no matter what." 

Forever was not a word used lightly among Gallifreyans.

"Really?"

Koschei smiled gently. "Yeah." 

Theta wrapped his arms around Koschei. His heart was so full of love he thought he might burst. Koschei hugged back with not a second's hesitation.

"Forever?" Whispered Theta into the crook of his neck.

"Yeah, forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew... This was a pain to finish. I've sort of done with the Academy Era fandom, at least for now, but I was already nearly done so I figured I should just get it done and uploaded, so that it doesn't rot forever in my WIP folder. And I'm not quite cruel enough to leave a cliffhanger like that unresolved.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. As always, comments and critiques are more than welcome. Hit me up on Tumblr @a-swarm-of-crabs if you so desire :)

**Author's Note:**

> Part two coming when I decide I'm emotionally capable of writing this sad angst again
> 
> Update: it was 6 months apparently


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